"It could have been so incredibly simple," said Mara Rodriguez, a spokesperson with the San Bernardino County sheriff's department. "Unfortunately, we have two people who lost their lives instead."
It started Saturday just before 8 p.m. on the 210 Freeway in Highland. A motorcyclist, 38-year-old Jonathan McConnell of Corona, was lane splitting, and clipped a sedan driven by 37-year-old Aaron Harris of Highland, officials say.
Instead of pulling to the side of the freeway, deputies say the motorcyclist left the scene, and drove to the parking lot of Joy's Lounge on Baseline Avenue in Highland.
The sedan driver, Harris, pursued the motorcyclist to the parking lot. He had his two children in the car with him ages 2 and 5.
"When they arrived in that parking lot, the man in the sedan began yelling at the motorcyclist," said Rodriguez. "They became confrontational. They were both armed, and a shooting occurred, and the two of them both ended up deceased at the end of the night."
Deputies said another man in front of the restaurant was wounded on his hand. The two small children in the backseat of the sedan were unharmed.
"We all get angry on the roads sometimes, especially these days there's so much traffic out there and so many things going on," said Rodriguez. "But this is a great example of how things can go so wrong so quickly."
A recent data analysis found that California is the worst state for road rage and confrontational drivers.
California is worst state for road rage, confrontational drivers, data show